Miyashiro on Olympic team, not Bown
July 3rd, 2012
By Cindy Luis
By Cindy Luis
Courtesy of USAVolleyball.org
Both Miyashiro and Bown were ‘trying out’ for the team last weekend. Berg was already a lock and didn’t make the trip to China.
Logan Tom
Jordan Larson
Megan Hodge
Foluke Akinradewo
Danielle Scott
Christa Harmotto
Destinee Hooker
Tayyiba Haneef Park
Lindsey Berg
Courtney Thompson
Nicole Davis
Tamari Miyashiro
Volleyshots
Congratulations to Tamari Miyasharo who made theOlympic team. I bet her whole family is proud and thrilled!
On the other hand, I can only imagine how crushed Heather Bown is who didn’t make the team. She told me in person years ago that her dream was to win an Olympic gold medal. So Crista Harmotto outdid her in the last week of play at the Grand Prix in China.
Note, the title gives a false impression that Tamari Miyasharo was chosen instead of Heather Bown. Not at all since they played different roles, the former, a libero and the latter, a middle blocker. (Only three middle blockers and two liberos are selected, mutually exclusive roles.)
In reality, Tamari Miyasharo indirectly benefited from Stacy Sykora’s personal disaster – brain injury due to a bus accident on the way to a volleyball match in Brazil that knocked her out of a sure libero position. Stacy was once regarded the best libero in the world. So, Stacy Sykora’s pain is Tamari Miyasharo’s gain.
I truly feel sorry for both Heather Bown and Stacy Sykora. Such are the vagaries of fate!
sorry but i don’t think the headline implies that. they play two different positions. one made the team, the other didn’t. Feel badly for Bown as well. but she saw such limited playing time during the Grand Prix didn’t think she would make it.
Miyashiro only had two starts in the Grand Prix, coming in the last two matches.
Sykora a great player.
Feel especially bad for Heather. She’s been a huge part of the national team’s rise to the top of the world rankings for the past four years unlike Harmotto and Scott Arruda ( who took a few years off) Plus it’s her life long goal to win the gold and this was probably her last chance
Wow! Way to go, Tamari. Awesome young lady from a great family. Never understood why UH didn’t offer her, but it all worked out for the best.
Because Hawaii just did not have a scholarship at the time. Plus Tama wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school. Initially, she only got offers to some lesser known schools. When she started shopping around again, there were few options. The UW situation happened by chance, and even after committing there, there wasn’t a scholarship available. She walked on, with UW helping her with financial aid, before she eventually earned a scollie.
I think all this was detailed in a story done either in the old Star-Bulletin or Adveriser papers…
That said, all things happen for a reason. Perhaps the circuitous route was what Tama needed to grow into the volleyball player she is now.
You’re right, Tama wasn’t heavily recruited and I couldn’t understand why. I saw her athleticism as a youngster (baseball, basketball, soccer), and watched a couple of her basketball and volleyball games in high school. Knowing her skills, intelligence, character and drive … well, I’ll always believe UH missed on this one. But, as you said, going away and working to establish herself at UDub shaped her into the player she is today … one Hawaii can be proud of.
Miyashiro’s story a little more complicated than UH not having a scholarship. She wanted to set. UH didn’t need a setter. She walked on her first year at UW, redshirted, with the promise of a scholarship.There was still a chance she would be the backup setter but they saw her value at libero. Sometimes it’s scholarship numbers, sometimes it’s timing. Sometimes it’s a matter of fit. a lot of history between Shoji and the Miyashiros, beginning with Tamari’s mom Joey Akeo.
And yes, we’ve written about it before.
Lazy to look up, who was the setter and libero for UH and UW when Miyashito was as UW.
I believe Kamanao was already in line to be the setter. At that time, Shoji did not give liberos a schollie…Villaroman may have earned one her senior year, but it did definitely not go to Watanabe in the following year. I think the schollies were allocated to other hitters. First scholarship Libero was Kaaihue.
I think it worked out just great for Tama, because UW has prepared her to play in the same Gold Medal Squared system that Hugh implements.
Don’t remember when Miyashiro played in college, but Kamana’o was 2003-2006, along with Cayley Thurlby, who redshirted a year before. After them, it was Mafua, who sat behind them as a redshirt in 2006.
Yes, Ka’aihue first libero to be recruited out of high school. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Villaroman earned a scholarship either her freshman or sophomore season. Came in as a walk-on, but she was on scholie way before her senior year. Same with Hedder Ilustre. Transferred as a walk-on, but ended up on scholarship for both years at UH, if I recall correctly. Watanabe on scholarship as a junior, after Villaroman graduated. All three were deserving, especially Villaroman and Ilustre, who were national team products.
Wawa, Kamanao 03-06. Miyashiro 05-09 (redshirted 05) that wasn’t the issue. If Miyashiro had set, she would have been competing against Mafua.
but it’s about timing. Miyashiro would have been a waste as the third setter in 06. and you had Ka’aihue coming in as a scholarship libero 07-10.
something that messed up the scholarship numbers was Aneli Cubi-Otineru. Shoji didn’t think she’d qualify after going to junior college. She did and he made good on his scholarship promise. She sat out her sophomore year at the JC, got her AA, which gave her three years to play at UH.
Back to Wahine news
Open gym started…any sightings of all new transfers? I think someone still needs to confirm of Longo sightings?
To answer your question Beauston yes she is here.
News about the A2 team, Emily Hartong’s White team, who have yet to win a game finally broke their losing streak and defeated the top seaded Blue team to advance to the gold medal match. Hartong led the White team as an OH with 19 points. On the White team’s first 3 games, Hartong contributed as well, but she took charge in their 4th game against the Blue team and voila, they finally won!
Picture of Emily. She looks good in USA red.
http://notbyreason.blogspot.com/2012/07/rainbow-wahine-volleyball-emily-hartong.html
All they talk about is books, libraries,cute shoes and argue about who is prettier Emily or Jane.
Holy Moly! Hartong’s team wins the gold at A2 championship match.
Any link to that news, USAV site like UH athletics is last to report?
Here you go:
http://usavolleyball.org/news/2012/07/04/usa-white-claims-gold-in-a2-tournament-title-match/48929
Great for Hartong! … Congrats to her and her team!
Hot, Miyashiro played for UW from 06-09. Redshirted 05. So even if she had come in as a freshman in 05 Kamanao was the junior setter.
Thurlby UH 03=06, redshirted 02
Kamanao UH 03-06
Mafua redshirted 06. played 07-11.
And to be honest, Shoji has a history of saving scholarships for mainland players and asking the local players to walk-on.
The Ka’aihues pretty much said that if Elizabeth wasn’t on scholarship from the beginning she wasn’t coming to UH. Kind of forced his hand
Reminds me of what happened for years with football. People wondered why kids went away to play. If you are offered a full ride elsewhere and UH says walk-on, most would take the full ride. It made the local kids feel inferior, as if they weren’t worth a scholarship from UH. It seems like it’s changed with the commitment to keep the best players home.
Thanks, Cindy! Also, wasn’t Villaroman on scholie for at least 3 years and Ilustre for both years at UH, even though both were asked to walk-on at first.
Hot, I am not sure who was on scholarship or how many years. It’s something I never kept track of.
Congratulations Tama, this is very well deserved. Best wishes in London!